Russia and the United States became actual allies on the Libyan issue. Both countries indirectly support the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the House of Representatives in Tobruk, which do not obey the UN-recognized national unity government headquartered in Tripoli.
The French military intelligence bulletin Intelligence Online reported that Moscow directly transferred LNA fighter-bombers MiG-27. According to the publication, together with the fighting vehicles in the North African country, technical personnel for maintenance and maintenance of aircraft in good condition. A few weeks ago, the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) also sent military advisers to the commander-in-chief of the LNA Khaftar, the "Free Press".
The Western press is not the first time to announce the supply of weapons from Moscow to Tobruk. Italian La Stampa reported in January that Russia had agreed with Haftar to supply weapons worth "about $ 2 billion in a triangle scheme" (Algeria should act as mediator) to circumvent the UN embargo on arms sales to Libya. The agreement on reanimating the agreement on the supply of arms, concluded in 2008. Between Moscow and the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, were signed during the visit of the marshal to the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, noted the media.
At the same time, experts find more and more evidence that Haftar is supported not only by Russia and Arab countries - Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, but also by France and the United States. The fact is that the Field Marshal was once associated with the CIA and, obviously, remains for Washington a comfortable and manageable figure.
"I think this (Haftar's implicit support) is connected with the revision of the former foreign policy agenda by the administration of Donald Trump. The White House again took a course to support Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the Arab world, and these countries are in favor of supporting Haftar. Recently, the government in Tobruk has clearly demonstrated this by joining the diplomatic blockade of Qatar, "said Kirill Semenov, head of the Center for Islamic Studies of the Institute for Innovative Development.
The expert drew attention to the fact that the government of national unity under the leadership of Faiz Saraj, although recognized by the UN, but relies on brigades from Misurata and other groups from the association "Libya Libya", which are considered close to the "Muslim Brotherhood". "The new US administration has taken a course to fight the" Brothers, "and this apparently is due to their not yet publicized support for Haftar," concluded Semyonov.
As for the alleged delivery of MiG-27 aircraft to Libya, a researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Andrei Frolov notes that it could well have been MiG-23 fighters that fell into Africa under the guise of scrap metal.
"MiG-27" alive "remained only in India and Kazakhstan, so hypothetically, the Libyans could buy them either through Russia or in general directly from Astana, but for them this aircraft is complicated, but the" twenty-third "is just right. Theoretically, the machines could be removed from the storage bases, but, most likely, they are there "killed" so the supply of several units is possible from our aircraft repair factories, "Frolov said, adding that the sale of illiquid formally does not violate the UN embargo.
After the overthrow in 2011. Muammar Gaddafi and the civil war that broke out in Libya, two governments operated:
the pro-Islamic General National Congress in Tripoli, and the democratically elected ones in Tobruk. December 17, 2015. With the support of the United Nations and Europe, a Government of National Unity was formed, headquartered in Tripoli, which was headed by Faiz Saradj. However, the Libyan National Army did not obey him.
Western countries are guided by the government of Saraj. Moscow publicly supports Field Marshal Haftar, but has contacts with other forces inside Libya.